Access to Tazkera and Other Civil Documentation in Afghanistan NRC > AFGHANISTAN REPORT
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Access to Tazkera and other civil documentation in Afghanistan NRC > AFGHANISTAN REPORT Researched and written by: Samuel Hall and the Norwegian Refugee Council Photographs: Jim Huylebroek and Farzana Wahidy Legal Editor: Sarah Adamczyk Design and layout: Chris Herwig This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union (EU) and of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). The contents of this document are solely the responsibility of the Norwegian Refugee Council and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union or the Swedish government. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent, international, humanitarian non-governmental organisation which provides assistance, protection and contributes to durable solutions for refugees and internally displaced people worldwide. www.nrc.no Samuel Hall is an independent think tank providing research and strategic services, expert analysis, tailored counsel and access to local knowledge for a diverse array of actors operating in the world’s most challenging environments. samuelhall.org Acknowledgements: Thanks are due to everyone who participated in the researching and drafting of this report, in particular the staff from Samuel Hall and from NRC’s Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA) programme in Afghanistan. Particular thanks go to Dominika Kronsteiner, Mohammad Abdoh, Ezzatullah Raji, Christopher Nyamandi, Dan Tyler, Kirstie Farmer, Monica Sanchez Bermudez and Dimitri Zviadadze. Samuel Hall would like to thank Marion Guillaume, Nassim Majidi, Ibrahim Ramazani and Abdul Basir Mohmand. NRC also wishes to thank the individuals who participated in the focus group discussions and interviews, and who shared their personal experiences for this research. 2 NRC REPORT ACCESS TO TAZKERA AND OTHER CIVIL DOCUMENTATION < NRC TABLE OF CONTENTS RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................................................................................... 6 Introduction and Methodology ......................................................................................................... 9 1. Legal Framework .............................................................................................................................12 1.1 International Law ............................................................................................................................................................. 12 1.2 National Law ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 2. Procedures to Obtain Identification and Civil Documentation ..........................................16 2.1 Personal Identification Documents ............................................................................................................................. 16 2.2 Civil Registration and Documentation ....................................................................................................................... 19 2.3 Gaps and Challenges within the Current Legal Framework ................................................................................. 21 3. Possession of Civil Documentation ..........................................................................................23 3.1 Overall rates of possession .......................................................................................................................................... 23 3.2 The impact of displacement on document possession .......................................................................................... 24 3.3 Tazkera .............................................................................................................................................................................. 25 3.4 Passports .......................................................................................................................................................................... 26 3.5 Birth certificates .............................................................................................................................................................. 26 3.6 Marriage certificates ....................................................................................................................................................... 26 4. Understanding the documentation challenges facing IDPs ...............................................28 4.1 Living outside place of origin ........................................................................................................................................ 28 4.2 Security ............................................................................................................................................................................ 29 4.3 Finances ............................................................................................................................................................................ 29 4.4 Verification of Identity ..................................................................................................................................................... 29 4.5 Women and girl’s lack of documentation .................................................................................................................. 29 4.6 Ethnic Minorities .............................................................................................................................................................. 31 4.7 Children and Youth ........................................................................................................................................................ 32 4.8 Rural-Urban Divide ......................................................................................................................................................... 33 4.9 Corruption in state institutions ..................................................................................................................................... 34 4.10 Civil registry technical challenges ............................................................................................................................ 34 5. The Impact of Lack of Documents .............................................................................................35 5.1 Women’s inheritance and marital property rights .................................................................................................... 35 5.2 Access to livelihoods ..................................................................................................................................................... 36 5.3 Access to humanitarian aid ......................................................................................................................................... 36 5.4 Access to health services ............................................................................................................................................ 36 5.5 Access to education ...................................................................................................................................................... 37 5.6 Access to other documentation .................................................................................................................................. 37 5.7 Freedom of movement ................................................................................................................................................... 37 NRC REPORT 3 NRC > AFGHANISTAN REPORT 5.8 Political representation .................................................................................................................................................. 38 5.9 Harassment from the authorities ................................................................................................................................ 38 5.10 Access to justice .......................................................................................................................................................... 38 5.11 Access to credit ............................................................................................................................................................ 38 5.12 Achieving durable solutions ....................................................................................................................................... 38 5.13 Cycle of poverty from of lack of documentation .................................................................................................... 39 5.14 Summary of the impact of lack of identity and civil documentation .................................................................. 40 6. Key stakeholders in civil documentation ................................................................................42 6.1 Stakeholder mapping ..................................................................................................................................................... 42 6.2 Government of Afghanistan .......................................................................................................................................... 42 6.3 International organisations ........................................................................................................................................... 43 6.4 Local NGOs